that time i ordered lots of stuff from e.l.f.

i returned home this past thursday to a shipment from elf cosmetics.  after reading a few posts from the bargain blonde raving about a lot of their products and reading some other good reviews online i decided to take the plunge.  i've tried cosmetics based on reviews before and spent a ton only to find out i'm not a huge fan.  the best thing about elf is that everything is SO reasonable and is extremely comparable to a lot of higher end brands.  here's what i got:

• elf studio single eyeshadow [ in pebble & saddle ]
• elf studio blush [ in candid coral ]
• elf studio concealer [ in ivory ]
• elf hypershine gloss [ in berry cherry ]
• elf studio eyeliner & shadow stick [ in black/smoke ]
• elf essentials waterproof eyeliner pen [ in black ]
• elf essentials lipstick [ in classy ]
• elf studio flawless finish foundation [ in porcelain ]
• elf studio high definition powder [ in translucent ]

 i got the chance to try out each of these products this weekend.  the one product i wasn't too crazy about was the concealer and that's only because it had a little too much of a yellow undertone for my skin color.

here is a quick photo i snapped on my phone before heading out on saturday night - i used entirely elf products with the exception of my all-time favorite bronzer benefit's hoola which i will continue using for the rest of my life [ and will cry like no other if they ever discontinue! ] :

[ sorry for the crappy phone quality ]

the so-so: the foundation didn't blow me out of the water, but for $6 it matches my skin tone well and has decent coverage so it's a great addition to my makeup bag for sure. the eyeliner/shadow stick was good but it's not necessarily better than any drugstore brand i've bought before.  however, it's WAY cheaper than the drugstore brand so i will definitely switch over to this one for my everyday makeup routine.

the good: the eyeshadows & blush were both super pigmented, blended well, and the colors were so pretty in person.  the waterproof eyeliner pen is so perfect for people who are spazzy like me and don't do well with liquid eyeliner.


my absolute favorites: i couldn't pick one clear winner for this but it definitely comes down to the lip gloss and the HD powder.  can i just say - this gloss is just as good, if not better, than stila!  this is hands down my new favorite lip color and for $1 i will most likely purchase every other color as well!  what led me to the HD powder was reading a review saying it was a pretty close dupe for the makeup forever HD powder which is a whopping $32 for 0.35 oz vs the elf powder which was $6 for 8g.  i was blessed with super oily skin and i'm always looking for ways to mattify my face and keep my makeup looking fresh throughout the day (especially in the summer!).  i honestly cannot recommend this powder enough, even for those who don't have oily skin as it is a great powder regardless.

i don't want to drag this post on forever, but i think this weekend i finally figured out the perfect combination of primer/foundation/powder/setting spray that has kept the shine/oiliness at bay for the longest period of time in my entire life.  i am honestly so excited about this discovery after trying out countless products & it really deserves a post of it's own so stay tuned for that later this week!

i hope you all had a great weekend!
xx, C.